Closure applying mechanism



Feb. 23, 1943. R STEWART ET AL 2,311,786

CLOSURE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1939 "e Sheets-Sheet 1 V I g WW @1 fawn J 5Qwwt Feb. 23, 1943- R. ST EWART ETAL 2,311,786

GLOSURE APPLYIgG MECHANISM '6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1939 Ill a wuem tow i CML I Feb. 23, 1943. J, STEWART ETAL 2,311,786

CLOSURE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 fie/"zi JSfZa/M gu l 1 W2.

Feb. 23, 1943. RT ETAL 2,311,786

CLOSURE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 'I l 1 I Feb. 23, 1943.

R. J. STEWART ET AL 3 .786

CLOSURE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Wen/y 1753x2102?" Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

2,311,786 CLOSURE APPLYING MECHANISM Robert J. Stewart and'He-nry H. Franz, Baltimore, Md., assignors to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York Application March 4, 1939, Serial No. 259,898

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to closure applying mechanisms.

In closing bottles or other containers with a cap including a skirt which must be molded or bent about a locking ring upon the mouth of the container, it is essential that the mouth of the container bear firmly upon the lower surface of the body wall of the cap, and that the upper surface of the cap be firmly in contact with the presser foot included in the capping mechanism, prior to the operation of molding the skirt about the locking ring.

For example, if a container is slightly shorter than standard, and no means is provided to hold such container in the position described above, the skirt of the cap would not be properly molded about and upon the locking ring of the container.

Numerous arrangements, usually termed compensating mechanisms, have heretofore been provided to hold the container in the proper position referred to above with respect to the capping head, and regardless of whether the container is of standard dimensions. such prior mechanisms are subject to the objection that compensation is performed during the capping movement of the capping head with respect to the container and, naturally, when a capping head moves with sudden force against a container, the container is apt to be damaged. An important object of the present invention is to provide a closure applying mechanism of such construction that each container will be positioned at the proper height with respect to the mechanism before the capping action takes place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure applying mechanismof such construction that capping heads of various types may be readily and interchangeably carried thereby.

In capping some types of containers, particularly milk bottles, each bottling plant may use two or more different types of closures upon botl b apparent from the following specification and drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a machine for filling and closing However, all

C an milk bottles and including a capping mechanism constructed in accordance with the present-invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional .view on the line 2-'-2 of Figure 1 or the line 2-2 of Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view, in side elevation, illustrating the cycle of operation of the compensating structure of the invention.

, Figure 4 is a side elevation of the compensating structure, with a portion in vertical section.

Figure 5 -is a horizontal sectional view of the valve included in the compensating structure, the section being on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the capping mechanism.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view on the line 1-4 of-Figure 6. I v

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectionalview on the line 8-8 of Figure 9.

Figure 9 is a view, generally in vertical section, showing the compensating structure and a form of capping mechanism, and

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 but showing the capping mechanism in another position.

The filling machine illustrated in Figure 1 may be generally described as comprising a table'or base casing having a milk reservoir-2| positioned abovethe same for rotation. During 'ro- -.tation of the reservoir, bottles successively posiv tioned upon the vertically reciprocable supports 22 will be filled bymeans of the filling heads .23 described in our continuation-impart application for Methods and apparatus for filling, Serial No, 341,744, filed June 21, 1940. Filled bottles are removed from the supports 22 by a rotatable transfer dial carried on a vertical shaft 24, which dial positions successive bottles upon bottle platforms 25 for movement through the closure ap plying or capping mechanism of the present invention. I

The capping mechanism includes a normally stationary post and a hollow column 3| hav- I ing a gear 32 fixed to its lower portion and suitably rotated through a speed reducing mechanism 33 by a motor, not shown. The hollow column 3| is journalled upon suitable bearings as shown in Figure 1 and extends up about the post 30 through an upward extension 35 of the base casing 20. A supporting sleeve 36 is secured to the column 3L and extends downwardly about the upward projection 35 of the base 20. At its upper end the non-rotatable post 30 rotatably carries a capping head supporting structure 40 including a depending sleeve 4|. The depending sleeve 4| is keyed tothe rotatable column 3| so that the entire structure 40 will rotate with this column.

- Eachbottle supporting platform 25 of the capbU ping structure include a depending sleeve 43 which is preferably rectangular in cross-section as shown in Figure 2 and is vertically slidable upon a post 44, the lower portion of the post being welded or otherwise secured to a flange or table 46 at the lower end of the base sleeve 88. The extreme lower end of each post 44 preferably extends slightly below the lower surface of flange 45 to form cams for a purpose hereinafter set forth. In order that the downward movement of each platform 25 may be limited so that in its downward limit position the upper surface of the platform will be flush with the upper surface of the worktable of the machine, each upright or post 44, as shown in Figure 4, has a relatively large set screw 48 threaded in its upper end. By this arrangement, upon removal of a platform 25 from its guiding upright 44, the set screw 48 may be so adjusted as to give the platform 25 a desired downward limit of movement. A locknut may be provided on each set screw 48 to hold the latter in adjusted position. It will be noted from the above that the platforms 25 may be readily removed from the uprights 44 for cleaning or other purposes.

As best shown in Figures 1, 6 and 9, the capping head supporting structure 40 includes a flange or tablelike portion 50 extending from the upper end thereof, which portion includes a depending skirt I suitably reenforced by ribs 52 extending from the sleeve 4|. The flange portion 50 has slots or pockets 55 (Figures 6, 7 and 8) circumferentially spaced about its periphery which slots are adapted to receive various types of capping heads. In order to conform to the present mechanism, each capping head would be supported in a bracket such as indicated by the numeral 56, the side and rear edge portions of which will closely fit a pocket 55, and the bracket also including an upper lateral flange 51 (Figure 7) and a lower lateral flange 58, the upper flange being adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the supporting structurejlange and the lower flange 58 being adapted to closely engage the under portion of flange 50.

Flanges 51 and 58 have apertures 60 therein adapted to be aligned with a bore Si in the supporting structure flange 50, and a pin 62 is adapted to be inserted through the upper end of these aligned apertures to prevent a bracket 56 and the capping head carried thereby from moving laterally with respect to the pocket 55. Each pin 62 is preferably provided with a downwardly facing shoulder adjacent its upper end to limit its downward movement to the aligned apertures. It will be noted that the brackets 56 may be inserted in the pockets 55 by moving the latter radially into the pockets and then inserting the pins 62. With the pins inserted, the flanges 51 and 58 will prevent all movement of the bracket with respect to the body flange 50.

The capping heads disclosed in the present application for the purpose of illustrating the oper ation of the present invention are of the type described in the patent to George W. Booth, for Capping machine, No. 1,956,208, April 24, 1934, which heads are particularly intended for applying to bottles a cap blank of hat-shaped form as indicated at C in position A of Figure 9 and forming this hat-shaped blank into a skirted closure C" of the type shown in position C of Figure 9. Referring to Figures 9 and 10, each capping head includes a capping chamber I0 at its lower end in which is positioned a throat ring 'II and a presser foot 12, the presser foot normally having its lower surface substantially flush with the lower edge of the throat ring II as shown in position A of Figure 9 and in Figure 10. A cap blank supply chamber 13 is secured to each capping head 88 and a slideway I4 beneath each cap blank supply chamber 18 has a pusher I5 mounted for reciprocation therein to move the lowermost cap blank in the supply chamber I3 into the capping chamber 10, as described in Patent No. 1,956,218, issued April 24, 1934, to George J. Huntley and Harry A. Rau for Capping head.

More specifically, each capping head 69 includes a cylindrical body portion I8 which fits and is vertically movable in a vertical bore I9 of the bracket 56, vertical keys being provided as shown in Figure 8 to hold the cylindrical body I8 against rotation with respect to the bracket 56. The cylindrical body I8 includes a large central bore 8i having its upper end closed by a block or fitting 82 threaded in the bore. A relatively strong coil spring 83 is positioned in the large bore BI with its upper end' bearing against the lower surface of the block 82 and its lower end bearing upon the enlarged head 84 of a spindle 85. The lower surface of spindle head 84 normally rests upon an annular shoulder 86 provided adjacent the lower end of the bore 8|. The lower end of spindle bears upon the upper portion 81 of presser foot 12, which portion is slightly flanged to bear upon a ring-like plate 88 supported upon the upper edge of the throat ring I I. As is described in said Huntley and Ran patent, the plate 88 has upwardly extending pins 89 circumferentially spaced about the same which pins extend through apertures in the upper wall of the capping chamber I0 and have a flat ring 90 secured to their upper ends which ring, upon upward movement of the capping head, is adapted to contact with the lower surface of the capping head supporting structure, in the present instance, the supporting bracket 56. The throat ring II includes a shoulder 92 at its upper end which rests upon a ring 93 bearing upon a coil spring 94, the lower end of coil spring 94 bearing upon a second ring 95 secured in the side wall of the capping chamber.

A ledge 96 surrounds the capping chamber 10 just below the normal position of the presser foot I2, and an opening 91 is provided at the portion of the chamber I0 adjacent the slideway I4 through which cap blanks C may be moved to the ledge 96 by pusher I5.

The cap blank supply chamber 13 is of tubular form and extends parallel with the tubular body 18 of the capping head so that a stack of cap blanks may be positioned in the chamber 13. The stack of caps is supported upon feed devices 99 circumferentially spaced about the chamber, these devices being of such form that, as described in said Huntley and Rau patent, the lowermost cap of the stack will be dropped at suitable intervals to rest upon the upper surface of the pusher 15 as shown in position A of Figure 9.

The pusher I5 is adapted to be reciprocated in the slideway 14 by means of a pair of hell cranks I00, one at each side of a capping head as shown inFigure 6, these bell cranks being pivoted upon a pin IOI extending through the portion of the bracket 56 between the bore 19 of the latter and the cap blank supply chamber 13. Each bell crank I00 includes a relatively short arm I02 which carries a roller positioned between a pair of vertically spaced lugs I03 on the corresponding outer surface of the chamber I3. The other and relatively long arm I04 of each bell crank I00 is pivotally connected to a link I05, the outer end of the link-being pivotally connected to the corresponding side of the pusher block 16 by means of a pin I06 extending from the corresponding side of the pusher block and through a horizontal slot I01 in the adjacent side wall of the slideway 14.

As is described in said Huntley and Rau patent, with the elements of the capping head in the relation shown in the position A in Figure 9, that is, with a bottle B just moving upwardly toward the capping head, and with the pusher block 15 in the inward position illustrated, and with a cap blank C resting upon the upper surface of the pusher block, the operation of the capping head will be generally as follows. Continued upward movement of the bottle will first raise the entire capping head upwardly to the position shown in Figure 10 with respect to the sup porting bracket 56. Because of the fact that the cap blank supply chamber 13 will move upward with the body cylinder 180i the capping head, the lower lug I03 at each side of the cap supply chamber 13 will act upon the shorter arm I02 of bell crank I to swing the latter in a clockwise direction (Figures 9 and 10,) thereby swinging the longer arm I04 of each bell crank to the right or outwardly so that the pusher block 15 will be moved to the position shown in Figure 10. This movement of the pusher block will permit the cap blank C shown resting on the upper surface of the pusher block in position A of Figure 9 to drop upon a ledge in the slideway 14 so that the cap blank will be positioned directly in front of the tongue 15a of the pusher block as shown in Figure 10. Continued upward movement of the bottle as shown in position C of Figure 9 will force the presser foot 12 upwardly and since the cap blank C already within the cap chamber is clamped beneath the lower surface of the presser foot andthe mouth of the bottle, the edge or rim portion of that cap blank will be bent downwardly to seal and cap the bottle as.

shown at position C.

Whenthe capped bottle then descends, the capping head 68 will be held raised for a short interval of time by reason of the fact that a roller IIO carried by an upwardly extending shank of block 82 will ride upon a cam II I carried by a plate I I2 fixed to non-rotatable post 30, all as described in our application filed March 4, 1939, Serial No.

259,897, entitled Capping mechanism, Patent No. 2,260,349, issued October 28, 1941. As described in said application, the roller IIO will eventually ride off the far end of cam II I so that the entire capping head will return to the position shown in position A in Figure 9. During such downward movement, the upper lugs I03 of the cap blank supply chamber 13 will bear upon the shorter arms I02 of the bell cranks I00 so as to swing the bell cranks in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to Figures 9 and 10, thereby moving the pusher block 15 inwardly so that the cap blank C shown positioned in front of the pusher block tongue 15a in.Figure and in position C of Figure 9 will be moved inwardly and upon the capping chamber ledge 96 to be positioned beneath the presser foot 12 as shown in position A of Figure 9, while another cap blank 0 will drop upon pusher as also shown in position A of Figure 9.

In order to raise the bottle supporting platforms 25 from the level at which bottles are placed thereon and then permit the platforms to again return to the level at which the bottles are removed therefrom, a cam I is provided about the lower portion of the capping mechanism. As best shown in Figure 2, the cam I20 is of generally arcuate form in plan elevation and each end I2I of the cam is pivoted upon a stud I22. One stud I22 is carried by a lug I23 secured to a post I24 projecting upwardly from the base table 20 of the machine, while the other stud is carried by a lug I23a projecting from the hollow standard which encloses the transfer dial shaft 24.

Referring to Figures 2,-4 and 9, substantially intermediate its length the cam I20 is provided with a lateral extension I26 which bears upon a plunger stem I21 projecting upwardly from a cam control casing I28. As best shown in Figures 4 and 9, the plunger stem I21 extends through a cap I29 which closes the upper end of a vertical bore I30 in the casing I28, the lower end of the plunger stem resting upon a ball mounted in a plunger I3I which is urged upwardly by a coil spring I32. The coil spring I32 is sufficiently strong to urge the cam I20 upwardly. As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the portion of the bore I30 below the plunger I3I opens to a valve chamber I35 which, in turn, communicates with a vertically extending liquid reservoir I36. A valve device I31 controls flow of the liquid between the reservoir I36 and the valve chamber I35 and thereby likewise controls the flow of liquid with respect to the plunger chamber or bore I30. The valve device I31 includes a stem I38 extending through the lower end of the reservoir I36 and to the exterior of thevcasing I28,

a packing I38 being provided about the outer portion of the stem to prevent leakage. The inner end of stem I38 is enlarged as indicated at I40, the enlarged portion I40 having a sliding fit with the bore I4I extending between valve chamber I35 and reservoir I36. A series of small ports I42 is provided in the enlarged portion I40 extending axially with respect to the valve stem. The extreme end of stem I38 is further enlarged to provide a poppet valve I43 adapted to seat upon a seat portion I44 of the bore MI. The extreme inner end of valve stem I38 is also provided with a stub end bore I45 having radially extending passages I46 opening therefrom to a circumferential groove I41 extending about the stem between the enlarged portion I40 and the inner face of the poppet valve I43, so that the axially extending bores I42 will always be in communication with the central or stub end bore I45. A seat I48 isformed in the outer end of the central bore I45 on which a ball check valve I40 is adapted to be held seated by a spring I50 positioned within a cage "I5I mounted upon the outer face of the poppet valve I43. The poppet valve I43 is urged to closed position by a coil spring I52 positioned between the outer face of the valve and the closure plug I53 of valve chamber I35. The spring I52 also of course urges the stem I38 to an outward position with respect to the control casing I28, that is, to the left in Figures 4 and 5.

A trip lever I (Figures 3 to 5) is pivoted u on the control casing I28.- with a vertical arm 'I6I of this lever extending downwardly adjacent the outer end of the valve stem I38, the other and horizontal arm I62 of the lever carrying a roller I63 wh ch the lower ends of the posts of the uprights 44 are adapted to contact so as to swing the lever I60 in a counter-clockwise direc tion with respect to Fi ures 3 and 4. The vertical arm I6I of lever I60 carries a set screw or stud I65 which is adapted to contact with the outer end of stem I33. The set screw I65 is held in adjusted position by means of a locknut as shown in Figure 5.

It will be observed from the above that when, as shown in Figure 4, the lower end of one of the uprights 44 is contacting with the roller I63, the vertical arm I6I of lever 60 will be in the right hand position shown in Figure 4 with the result that the reservoir I36 will be in communication with the lower end of plunger chamber I30 through open valve device I31, so that they may be a free fiow of liquid between these two chambers. At such time cam I20 will be urged upwardly by the spring I32, but will also be free to be moved downwardly as hereinafter described.

It will be noted that from the diagrammatic showing of Figure 3 that the roller I63 of trip lever I60 is positioned at a point past the highest point of cam I20 so that the position of the trip lever I60 will be controlled by the upright or cam surface 44 of a bottle supporting platform 25 which has already moved past the high point of the cam.

It will be understood that instead of the lower ends of the uprights 44 being used as the cams to actuate trip lever I60, the ring or flange 45 which, in the present construction, joins and supports the uprights 44, may have suitable cam surfaces formed thereon, one for each bottle supporting platform 25. In any event, the leading and trailing edges of this cam will be inclined as shown in Figure 4.

The operation of the cam I20 and the control mechanism within the casing I28 is as follows: At the moment that a bottle is positioned upon a bottle supporting platform 25 by the transfer spider on shaft 24 (Figure 1), that platform 25 will, by its own weight, be in lowered position, that is, the lower surface of the platform will be resting upon the head of the set screw 48 (Figure 4) provided at the top of the corresponding post 44. At this moment, the upper surface of the platform will be flush with the table surface upon which the bottle is being moved by the transfer spider. The rotation of the column 3I which carries the bottle supporting platforms support 36 will immediately thereafter cause the roller 26 associated with that platform 25 to move upon the leading end I20a of the cam I20 as indicated at the left hand portion of Figure 2 and at the right hand portion of Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 and 9, the entrance portion I20a. of cam I20 is the lower portion of an incline l20b of cam I20 so that the bottle platform 25 will immediately begin to raise to a position corresponding to position A of Figure 9, thereby causing the mouth of the bottle B to move upwardly into the capping chamber I of the capping head 69 above the platform.

The bottle will continue to rise as the roller 26 continues to ascend incline Ib and until the roller 26 reaches the level dwell I 200 at which time the mouth of the bottle will contact with the undersurface of the cap blank C as shown in Figure 10. Should the bottle be of slightly more than standard height, the weight of the capping head is sufiicient I and spring 83 is also of such strength) that a force will be created to act through the bottle B and the bottle platform to force cam I20 and the plunger I3 I downwardly against the action of plunger spring I32 and the liquid within the plunger chamber I30. Liquid will thus be forced out of the plunger chamber and through the open poppet valve I31 into the reservoir I36.

As shown in Figure 3, at the time that the roller 26 of one bottle platform 25 is moving across the greater portion of the level dwell I200, the lower end of the preceding bottle platform upright 44 is bearing upon the trip lever roller I83 to hold the poppet valve I43 in the open position shown in Figures 4 and 5 so that liquid may move freely between the plunger chamber I30 and the reservoir I36.

Similarly, should a bottle be of less than the standard height, the plunger spring I32 will act through plunger I3I to hold the cam I20 in such position as to force or hold the mouth of the bottle into close contact with the undersurface of the cap blank C, the upper surface of the latter of course being in close contact with the undersurface of the presser foot I2. In other words, regardless of whether the bottle is of standard height, its mouth will be held closely against the cap blank C at the time that the platform roller 26 is moving over the level dwell I200 of cam I20. The entire effect of the above mechanism is therefore to insure that every bottle, just prior to any action of the capping head, is in close contact with, or iscompensated with respect to, the presser foot I2 and the cap blank carried beneath the same.

Continuing, as a bottle supporting platform roller 26 moves over the further portion of dwell I200, the upright 44 of the preceding bottle platform 25, acting as a trip, will move from the trip lever roller I63 with the result that the valve spring I52 will be free to move the poppet valve I43 to closed position upon its seat I44. Hence the fluid which is in the plunger chamber I30 at this instant will be locked in the chamber so that neither the plunger I3I nor the cam I20 can move downwardly. Immediately thereafter, the roller 26 will move upon the crowning rise [20d of cam I20. This rise will cause the bottle platform 25 to be moved further upwardly, forcing the bottle B from the position shown in Figure 10 to the position indicated at position C in Figure 9 so that the mouth of the bottle will move upwardly within the throat ring II and the cap blank C will be properly molded upon the mouth of the bottle. Downward movement of the roller 26 from crowning rise I20d will cause the bottle platform 25 to lower. The roller 26 will then move down the cam decline I20e so that the platform 25 will further be lowered as shown in Figure 3. Almost simultaneously with the movement of the roller 26 past the extreme high point of the crowning rise I20d, the lower end of upright 44, or the corresponding cam surface, will contact with roller I63 of trip lever I60 so that the poppet valve I43 will be moved to open position in readiness for compensation of the bottle upon the succeeding platform 25.

As stated in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2,260,349 for Capping mechanism, when the capping head is raised to the extreme upper position shown in position C of Figure 9, the roller I I0 at the upper portion of the capping head will ride upon the-cam III on the upper portion of the capping structure so that the capping head will be held in elevated position for a short time and while the bottle is moved downwardly to a position slightly below that shown in position C. In other words, the capping head will be held raised until the mouth of the bottle has cleared the cap supporting ledge 96 so that a cap blank may be moved upon this ledge when the capping head subsequently descends as is heretofore explained and as it also described in the patent to Huntley and Han No. 1,956,218 referred to above.

The bottle supporting platforms 25 and the rollers 26 associated therewith are intended to move downwardly due to the weight of the platform and the bottle thereon, but should a platform 25 and its roller 26 fail to move downwardly along the cam I20, the roller 26 will contact with an upper fixed cam I75 shown in Figure 4 and which cam is of such conformation that it will cause the platform to be moved downwardly to be flush with the mechanism, not shown, for removing bottles from the bottle supporting platforms 25, just as would occur if the roller 26 wereto properly move downwardly along cam I20 to the outfeed end I 20f of the cam.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present compensating structure not only fully and accurately compensate each bottle, but also performs such compensation in such amanner that every bottle will be in firm contact with the capping elements before any capping stroke occurs. In other words, because compensation occurs before capping, it will not be possible for a capping head to suddenly and forcefully come into contact with a bottle mouth, since every movement of both the bottle and the capping head is controlled by carefully designed cams and other positive control elements.

, The terminology used in the specification is for purposes of description, the scope of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

We claim:

1. The combination in a container sealing mechanism, of a. supporting element having a vertically extending socket therein, a closure applying element seated in said socket against vertical movement, and vertically extending slipfitting members to hold said closure applying Eelement in said socket.

2. The combination in a container sealing -mechanism of a supporting element including a I laterally facing and open-ended socket therein, a

capping element positioned in said socket, said element including laterally extending flanges bearing on the upper and lower walls of said supporting element, said flanges and said supporting elements having aligned apertures therein, and pin elements positioned in said apertures.

3. The combination in a container sealing apparatus, of a rotary table element, a plurality of container sealing devices circumferentially spaced about said table element, each of said devices comprising a capping element and a container supporting element in alignment therewith, means to rotate said table element, compressible means to move one element of one of said devices with respect to the other element of said device to bring the mouth of a container carried by the container supporting element of that device into contact with a cap carried by the corresponding capping element, means actuated by the preceding device to render said compressible means immovable, and means to subsequently move one element of said first-named device further toward the other element of said first-named device to cause the cap to be secured to the mouth of the container.

4. The combination in a container sealing apparatus, of a rotary table element, a plurality of container sealing devices circumferentially spacedabout said table element, each of said devices comprising a capping element and a container supporting element in alignment therewith, means to rotate said table element, fluid pressure controlled means to move one element of one of said devices with respect to the other element of said device to bring the mouth of a container carried by the container supporting element of that device into contact with a cap carried by the corresponding capping element, means actuated by the preceding device to render said fluid pressure controlled means immovable, and means to subsequently move one element of said first-named device further toward the other element of said first-named device to cause the cap to be secured to the mouth of the container.

5. The combination in a container sealing apparatus, of a rotary table element, a plurality of container sealing devices circumferentially spaced about said table element, each of said devices comprising a capping element and a container supporting element in alignment therewith, means to rotate said table element, a movable cam positioned in the path of travel of said devices, compressible means to urge said cam upwardly to move a container supporting element upwardly, and trip means carried by said table element and acting to then render said compressible means rigid to hold said cam immovable, said cam including a rise adapted to be subsequenitly engaged by the container supporting elemen 6. The combination in a container'sealing apparatus, of a rotary table element, a plurality of container sealing devices circumferentially spaced about said table element, each of said devices comprising a capping element and a container supporting element in alignment therewith, means to rotate said table element, compressible means to move one element of one of said devices with respect to the other element of said device to bring the mouth of a container carried by the container supporting element of that device into contact with a cap carried by the corresponding capping element, trip means carried by said table element and acting to render said compressible means immovable, and means to subsequently move one element of said first-named device further toward the other element of said first-named device to cause the cap to be secured to the mouth of the container.

7. The combination in a container sealing apparatus, of a base, a table element rotatable on said base, a plurality of container sealing devices circumferentially spaced about said table element, each of said devices comprising a capping element and a containersupporting element in alignment therewith, means to rotate said table element, a cam track of arcuate form beneath said table and pivoted at its ends to said base, said cam being adapted to lie in a substantially horizontal plane and being positioned in the path of travel of said devices, compressible means to urge said cam track toward said devices to 'move a container supporting element toward the corresponding capping element, and trip means carried by said table element and acting to then render said compressible means rigid to hold said cam track immovable, said cam track including a rise adapted to be subsequently engaged by the container supporting element.

ROBERTJ. STEWART. HENRY H. FRANZ. 

